Healthcare Solution Design
Partnership will make available Manifest’s solutions for small businesses with 25 employees or more to drive affordability and accessibility of care for local companies.
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – November 4, 2026 – Manifest, a healthcare solution design studio, today announced a new partnership with the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), the only statewide and state-based association focused solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community, to make the Manifest Provider Collective and its supporting technology solutions available to SBAM member companies.
This partnership connects SBAM’s member companies with a trusted collective of high-quality, local healthcare providers, helping companies offer better access to care, improve employee experience, and manage healthcare costs more effectively. To help guide employees and their families to high-value care settings, Manifest will also make its communications and technology solutions available for employers.
While healthcare affordability has been an issue plaguing all businesses across the state, there is no doubt that it disproportionately harms small business. SBAM has been ardent and steadfast in its advocacy for the need to ease the impact of healthcare costs on Michigan’s small business community. It is an honor to now serve alongside them in bringing meaningful and impactful solutions to market at this unprecedented moment in time.
Rick Abbott, co-founder and CEO of Manifest
Manifest and the Small Business Association of Michigan’s partnership offers an exclusive rate for Manifest’s solutions for SBAM members. This includes direct relationships with the care delivery organizations within the Manifest Provider Collective, employee communications materials, an employer-specific microsite and provider directory, and starting in 2027, Manifest’s marketplace platform.
For small businesses, providing competitive benefits while managing rising healthcare costs is an ongoing challenge. Our partnership with Manifest gives SBAM members another practical option to address that challenge, connecting their employees with high-quality care while helping employers get more value from their healthcare investment.
Brian Calley, President and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan
The Manifest Provider Collective has grown to more than 30 care delivery organizations across the state, each aligned in the values and mission of providing more affordable and accessible healthcare to our local communities. SBAM members with 25 or more employees interested in learning more about this partnership can reach out immediately.
Manifest is a healthcare solution design studio on a mission to build a better healthcare ecosystem, one designed with people at the center. Founded by former Michigan healthcare executives Rick Abbott and Aaron Friedkin, MD, Manifest creates human-centered, connected systems that reimagine how care works for employers, providers, and benefits agencies in areas like primary care, behavioral health, orthopaedics, surgery, maternity care, cancer care, imaging, and infusions. By incubating and scaling high-quality solutions with local providers, from independent practices to hospitals, we make it easier and more affordable for employees to receive exceptional care close to home.
Media contact: hello@manifest.health
The Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) has served Michigan’s small business community since 1969. As the state’s only statewide association dedicated exclusively to small businesses, SBAM advocates for small business owners, connects them to valuable resources and solutions, and brings together a powerful community of businesses across all 83 Michigan counties. Together, Michigan small businesses can tackle challenges, seize opportunities, and achieve more than they could on their own.
Media contact: sarah.miller@sbam.org